The use of inflatable penile prostheses is well known for the treatment of erectile impotence. One such device uses a pumping mechanism in the scrotum to inflate two fluid filled silicon rubber cylinders located in the corpora carvenosa of the penis from a fluid reservoir located in the abdomen. A disadvantage of this type of device is that it requires the patient to have considerable manual dexterity and also requires a rather large object to be placed in the scrotum.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,168 by R. E. Fischell describes a change-of-state pressurant in a reservoir placed in the abdomen that can force inflation fluid into the penile cylinders without the disadvantages of the scrotal pump. However, manual manipulation of an abdominal or penile valve by the user is still required to operate that Fischell invention.